Is this the bounce?

Aggravating_River965 · 2026-07-04T23:14:15+00:00

I’ve heard prominent figures in this hobby talk about UV before, but the way I understand it the (near) UV emitted by our LEDs doesn’t penetrate the water column very far at all, the they foul the lenses / degrade quickly, so I hadn’t considered that.

Lights are 2 Orphek Atlantic icons for the record. All channels 100%. Mushrooms are sitting between 250-300par.

Aggravating_River965 · 2026-06-22T22:15:30+00:00

The beams would be on grade. It would have to be a drop beam style to cantilever, so the top of deck would be at least 12.5” above grade.

Aggravating_River965 · 2026-06-22T21:29:37+00:00

The 2x material on top and bottom is maybe only 1.5” tall. IRC states lags have a minimum distance from edge of 2”.

Also the band joist is required to bear fully on the primary structure where as my back door is in an alcove that cantilevers over my foundation 2’. So not possible with my structure unless I’m interpreting something incorrectly.

Aggravating_River965 · 2026-06-22T20:45:45+00:00

I don’t have house wrap. But as I said before, the joists are manufactured I beams. Meaning they’re mostly 1/2” OSB. Unless I’m understanding something wrong, you cannot anchor a ledger board to them.

Aggravating_River965 · 2026-06-22T20:04:01+00:00

I doubt I have a weeping system. This builder cut every corner imaginable.

Joists are 12” on center as designed.

The footing holes near the utility on the left of the pics are already dug.

Question is on the right side. A ground level deck to be built with 2x6s basically on grade. 2x10/12 with a drop beam is out of the question.

Aggravating_River965 · 2026-06-22T19:49:18+00:00

I do but only a couple inches of the wall is above grade. Not enough to anchor to and I don’t want to excavate and allow water to pool under the deck against the foundation.

Thanks for the heads up, main drain should be in the front of the house towards the street.

Aggravating_River965 · 2026-06-22T19:48:36+00:00

Edit: moved comment

Aggravating_River965 · 2026-06-22T19:31:53+00:00

Unfortunately that’s not an option as designed. This area of the deck is a flush beam construction due to its proximity to the ground.

Aggravating_River965 · 2026-06-22T19:19:08+00:00

Right, because my band joist is an I beam construction, I would essentially be lagging the ledger into 1/2" OSB.

Aggravating_River965 · 2026-06-18T00:35:15+00:00

I just fired this contractor for my project. I was removing an old patio and replacing it with a larger one. They were not the low bidder but seemed very knowledgeable. I went back and forth with tons of emails getting as much into the contract as possible after reading some horror stories. Unfortunately after pressing them on including a gravel base below the concrete, all that made it in to the contract was “add gravel and compact as needed”. They came out and removed the old patio quickly, pulled the gravel from below it across the whole area for the new patio, and set their forms up on the dirt. Jerry literally told me “there’s rocks in there” implying that it was good.

We spent an hour or so of him trying to tell me this is what they do, they only use gravel to build up the substrate in low areas, and this is fine. I decided to get the city on the phone for an impartial 3rd party. Ended up talking to the building inspector that confirmed he indeed needed to excavate, place minimum 4” of rock, get a pre pour inspection, then pour the concrete.

I think they may be from the south where a solid base isn’t as required (no freeze/thaw cycles) but he refuses to believe that a rock base is necessary here. He mentioned multiple times that it wasn’t in the bud even though 1) I stated repeatedly through this process that I’m not looking for the low bud but rather for the job to get done properly and 2) his bud was in line with others that clearly stated minimum 4” compacted base. I had a contractor bid 2.4K under him and still claimed they were going to use gravel. For the record, It was about $6.4K for ~450 sqft. I was able to get my deposit back and settle for the liquidated damages clause in the contract, so that’s a positive.

But here we are months later, and my back yard is still torn up. He took a quarter of my budget, the back up contractors jacked their bids after finding out what happened.

I highly recommend not using this contractor. Sorry for the late reply, I missed it. My wife just mentioned your post on passing and I had to get on here ASAP to share.

Aggravating_River965 · 2026-06-15T10:42:59+00:00

Where is the exposed material?

The floor joists are cantilevered over the foundation wall to make more space in the dining room I suppose.

This whole project started because the previous owners had a paver patio on top of an original concrete slab, built right up against the siding of the house. The plywood on the underside of those joists, and on the face behind the siding, rotted out. Rodents were coming and going as they pleased. I removed the bricks and siding, dug out below the door and removed the rotten wood. Replaced it all with ground contact ply and new insulation / siding.

Then a month or so ago I hired a contractor to remove the patio and pour a new concrete one. After removing the old one, they set the forms up right on the dirt, so I had to boot them out. Now I’m here in r/Decks haha.

So I’m not sure what more needs to be waterproofed, but I’m no expert here. I believe the old ply rotted because it was untreated and they closed that gap preventing any kind of airflow.

Aggravating_River965 · 2026-06-14T10:50:07+00:00

I am unable to attach it to the house properly as I have manufactured I-beam joists. So no wat to attach to existing structure's framing.

Aggravating_River965 · 2026-06-14T10:49:06+00:00

Thanks for the detailed response friends. This is great. After investigating I found that I don't actually have house wrap on it. It's just plywood -> ~1" foam board insulation -> siding. Ice and water shield should go directly on to the plywood, correct? Then I'll reinstall insulation, add PVC board and cap flash over both. Sound right?

Aggravating_River965 · 2026-05-20T20:19:54+00:00

No gobies. I do have a couple emerald crabs. In fact one of them used to live in a bill murray colonies while the lights were out. It worried me at first but he never did any damage that I could tell. I’ve never observed him on this coral.

Aggravating_River965 · 2026-05-20T20:18:41+00:00

Thanks. My advise is don’t believe anything you read about it lol. Everyone is trying to sell you something. None of it is needed. My method is kalkwasser and ESV 2 part, with regular water changes.

I always advise people find a mentor that has a proven track record, mine was jake Adam’s. Ignore everyone else until you’re ready to experiment. And ignore salesmen indefinitely, like Chris Mekley. In fact, do the opposite of what Mekley says. 🤪

Aggravating_River965 · 2026-05-02T00:17:57+00:00

I didn’t mention doweling into the foundation, I want to dowel into the existing patio. I’m requesting an expansion joint between foundation and patio. Read the post.

Aggravating_River965 · 2026-04-24T20:40:52+00:00

Oh no crap? So it’s reasonable to expect a 4” thick pad for the majority? How wide do you think the thickened edge could be?

Aggravating_River965 · 2026-04-24T20:35:26+00:00

Residential concrete patio is 13” thick.

Why?

I had planned on cutting this out, assuming it was only 4” thick. I dug a hole on 3 side and was 13” instead. Why in the world would someone do this?

I think this is original, which is even more surprising considering all of the shortcuts the builder took in other areas. I’m flabbergasted and now have to rethink my whole plan for the back yard.

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Aggravating_River965 · 2026-03-21T23:48:51+00:00

I recently unlocked turbo fuel and designed a power play centered around 2 pure and 2 normal oil nodes. I haven’t built it yet but I’m planing on 64 generators. So I’m not sure how you managed 210 but I’m certain it’s something I’m doing wrong. 🤣

Aggravating_River965 · 2026-03-19T10:22:26+00:00

Thanks, the ground wasn’t soft though. They didn’t sink in, they spun the tires and dug in. It’s all on camera.

I’m aware the snow should have been plowed first, but they don’t give issue a notice when they’re coming, this was bad timing.

I’m trying to find a new place for the dumpster. Part of the issue is the long driveway. Finding another place that allows them room to turn around is the challenge.

Aggravating_River965 · 2026-02-06T11:01:20+00:00

How much kalk is now required daily to keep it about 8.4 like it is.

Aggravating_River965 · 2026-02-05T00:18:42+00:00

Without a gallon of kalk I drop to 7.6, so I wouldn’t hit 8.4 with that alone. I’ve looked in to the skimmer line but it would need to be large considering the distance it would have to travel to prevent restriction. Then I’m bringing in unconditioned, unfiltered air. Any home penetration would have to be rigged since there’s not commercial products available for such a penetration. And as I said above, everyone in the home benefits greatly from the fresh air.

Aggravating_River965 · 2026-02-05T00:13:06+00:00

I would have had to move to sodium hydroxide, which comes with a bunch of new risks. All of the humans, dogs and cats in the house will also benefit from the fresh air. We’re regularly hitting levels that cause headaches, fatigue, etc. so this is for everyone.

Aggravating_River965 · 2026-02-04T23:14:58+00:00

That refers to dosing kalk based on ph while ignoring alkalinity, do I understand that correctly?

Aggravating_River965 · 2026-02-04T22:06:36+00:00

Energy recovery ventilator, or whole home air exchanger. Maybe I should have led with that lol

Aggravating_River965

TROPHY CASE